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Police pursue U-Haul truck driver in I-90 chase between Three Forks and Anaconda

Posted at 5:46 AM, Jun 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-11 07:46:52-04

ANACONDA - Law enforcement was involved in a police pursuit with a man driving a U-haul truck that started in Gallatin County and ended just west of Anaconda, spanning more than 90 miles.

The incident began before 9 a.m. when motorists reported an erratic driver near Manhattan.

“A number of attempts were made to end the pursuit using stop sticks, with limited success,” said Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Dan Amundson.

Police eventually ended the pursuit by having to make physical contact with the truck, forcing it off the side of the highway.

“Highway patrol vehicle makes physical contact with the suspect vehicle at a reduced speed, spinning it out and immobilizing it,” said Amundson.

The driver of the vehicle was a man from Michigan and was taken into custody. The highway patrol credits the cooperation of several law enforcement agencies for bringing this pursuit to a safe end.

“On Interstate 90 with speed limits at 80 mph and you’ve got somebody failing to yield to emergency vehicles trying to stop him, it’s fluid and uncertain and nobody’s quite sure how it will end, so fortunately other travelers out here gave us some room to do our job and that was appreciated,” said Amundson.

MHP says the situation is still under investigation and has not released a motive for why the driver refused to stop for police.

The man is in custody, but police have not released the suspect's identity.